1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shredding devices and particularly to shredders adapted for use to shred large volumes of paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past various types of paper shredding devices have been devised. Most paper shredders employ counterrotating rolls having a plurality of interleaved cutting elements, typically in the form of toothed or spiked disks separated from each other along one of two parallel shafts by spacer elements mounted between them. Alternatively, smoothed surfaced disks of right cylindrical configuration have been similarly arranged in an interleaved manner to effectuate shredding of fiberous or matted material. However, the prior devices of this type have suffered from several fundamental deficiencies.
While adequate for relatively small quantities of paper, such as waste paper typically collected from office building waste baskets, the paper shredders of prior construction are totally inadequate for the requirements of modern offices. With the advent and increased use of high speed printing devices, such as computer printers and high speed reproducing machines, large stacks of wastepaper must be disposed of daily from commercial buildings. Because such large volumes of paper arrive at the shredders location in relatively neat stacks with a large mass of paper in a very compact volume, the techniques of prior paper shredding devices are unworkable. The toothed or spiked projections of conventional paper shredders simply cannot puncture and then tear such large stacks of computer paper, as is possible with isolated letters, notepads, and other wastepaper debris historically consumed in business office operations. When confronted with stacks of computer print-out paper to be shredded, the grinding teeth of conventional paper shredders merely draw the paper into the counterrotating rolls, whereupon the shredder jams. Paper james of this type also occur in conventional shredders employing counterrotating right cylindrical disks designed to shear waste paper into strips. Moreover, because stacks of computer print-out paper and other large volumes of paper discarded in stacks do not arrive at the shredder in a jumbled array, the stacks, or portions thereof, tend to slide across the counterrotating disks without being cut. Eventually, thick pads of paper are thrown sideways between adjacent counterrotating disks, which then slide past the paper without cutting it. Paper wedged between shearing disks inhibits the rotation of the disks and presents paper blockages of another type.